"Early in Trump's second term, an array of mainstream critics expressed skepticism about the value of continued protests in the streets. They invested their faith in institutions such as Congress and the courts. But as these institutions along with law firms, universities and the business community have each caved in to the administration's demands and proven themselves unwilling to catalyze an ardent defense of democracy, it has been left to the people themselves to do this essential work."
"The Twin Cities were not the first to stand up. We have seen robust resistance in Chicago, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Washington DC, and other metropolitan areas previously targeted by ICE or occupied by federal troops. In the past year, there have been huge No Kings marches and coordinated consumer actions such as Tesla Takedown. But Minnesota has raised the stakes and expanded public awareness of what a community-wide refusal to submit can look like."
Two killings of legal observers and widespread abductions of immigrant community members pushed the country to a turning point and provoked a loud backlash against ICE. Ordinary Americans observed how grassroots solidarity and creative resistance in Minnesota revealed the force of mass non-cooperation to counter the Trump administration's authoritarian tendencies. Mainstream institutions, law firms, universities, and businesses largely failed to defend democratic norms, leaving civic defense to popular action. Cities nationwide have mounted protests and coordinated consumer campaigns, while Minnesota elevated the stakes and clarified what community-wide refusal can achieve, connected to a history of organized mass protest.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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